It would be an understatement to say that I have been struggling to work in the studio after Italy.
First, it was because we moved over the summer, and I have a hard time getting motivated when my life is in upheaval. The other part of my problem is that I don't have a proper work space at the moment; I'm working out of our bedroom, which is not ideal.
But really the problem was not knowing what to make. I'm tired of my old work and really don't want to work with plastic for a while, so I've been searching for a new source of inspiration. The most inspiring thing I've seen this past year was the amulet collection at the National Archeological Museum in Perugia, Italy, which I
mentioned on this blog in March.
You'd be hard-pressed to find the jeweler or metalsmith who isn't at least partially interested in amulets, but contemporary versions are often so
cliché that I have typically avoided them like the plague.
And I'm still avoiding them. I am not making amulets.
I have finally started a project partially inspired by the sense of fragility and vulnerability of those amulets, however. My goal is to make at least 100 copper quatrefoil charms that will be altered using some simple, straight-forward method. I plan to enamel them and hang them on a handmade safety-pin.
Time will tell if these pins have the feeling I want, but so far, I'm enjoying it and keeping busy. Which is good.
I'm not really either. 
I have been trading jewelry with as many of the other artists and faculty here as I can! Above is a ring I traded with painter Holly Coulis.
These earrings were for photo teacher Robin Dana.
And this brooch was made for ceramicist Lauren Gallaspy.
Been making these silver pins with imagery based on snapshots we've taken in Italy. They are chased and repoussed in silver. 
First thing I wanted to do in Italy was play with the white carrara marble that is in abundance here. It's very easy to carve and work with, so I started by making the weird shapes above and then decided to carve an ear because listening (to stuff I don't understand) is on my mind a lot right now. 
I am also sitting in on the book making class and have so far made several pamphlet style books. 
It is very fun and something I've always wanted to learn to do, so I'm grateful to have the opportunity.
And, when all other inspiration fails, I make a spoon. So here is my newest little spoon--a good size for espresso here in Italia!
N and I are participating in a holiday show at the Craft Alliance and the theme is "on a roll." I made this rolling razor for it.
The handle is called a "foot machine" and it came with different attachments for trimming one's feet. The brush heads are from mascara brushes--I've recently started noticing the strange shapes and styles of mascara brushes. They spin around when the handle is turned on.
After the a fore mentioned stone-setting workshop I took, I have made my first jewelry with diamonds and gold. As with the silver ring in my previous post, these diamonds all came out of diamond jewelry I inherited from my grandmother, as did the gold.
I just finished making this sterling silver ring with my new found stone-setting expertise and the diamonds mentioned in the previous post. 
I just made this new ring and I can't decide if I like the light background, or the dark background better. My husband votes dark, I think I'm leaning light.
